One Of The Boys
by Blue-Winter-Angel
Summary: A birthday present for my sister, Liz4. : Bella has always been one of the boys, but when she realizes what she wants, she's prepared to cross over to the dark side to get it. Lemon!


* * *

**BWA: Ready everyone? One, two, three...  
Everyone: -Sings- Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiz! Happy birthday to you!  
Emmett: Hip hip!  
Everyone else: Hooray!  
Emmett: Hip hip!  
Everyone else: Hooray!  
Emmett: Hip hip!  
Everyone else: Hooray!  
Edward: -Throws confetti-  
Jasper: -Squeaks horn-  
BWA: Well, if you haven't noticed, this is a birthday present for my big sister, Liz4. Or Liz, either one. I know it's a few days early, Liz - but, seeing as I have to catch a plane in an hour... well... I thought I'd get it up now. -Grins- This epic one-shot is the longest one I've ever written and I had a blast messing around with these crazy characters once again. So, big sis, just a small thank you for always being there and making me laugh. I can't wait to see you and I'll talk to you real soon! I love you!  
Alice: Woo!  
Rosalie: -Throws confetti-  
Bella: -Throws more confetti-  
Emmett: -Throws confetti on everyone-  
BWA: -Giggles- On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and all its characters belong to the fabulous Stephenie Meyer. I'm just being a dork.**

* * *

Have you ever fallen for someone who's completely off limits to you? Well… maybe not off limits, but someone who doesn't see you the way you wish they did?

I have.

Alice Cullen is my best friend, and I'm in love with her brother, Edward Cullen.

We met when I moved to Forks from Phoenix in our junior year. We were now two weeks away from graduating and, from the day I met him, I knew he was the only one I'd want. Unfortunately, to him… I was like a little sister. I was one of the boys.

I'm not a tomboy, in all honesty, I despise the word. I'm simply… anti-girly. Instead of pink dresses and makeup, I wear jeans, band shirts and Converse shoes. Instead of painting my nails and singing along to mainstream music, I play sports with the guys and sing along to bands that Alice and my other best friend Rosalie, have never heard of.

Now, normally, I'm a massive klutz, but I can hold my own when it comes to a game that doesn't involve jumping over obstacles or running a great distance. Well… maybe not so much. Put it this way, I managed to hurt myself playing a game of tennis. Freaking ball bounced off the net and whacked me in the forehead.

Totally not my fault.

Anyway – even though I've known him for almost two years, he's never shown an interest in me. Maybe that's because he watched me… flourish. I was a bit of a late bloomer, I suppose. Half way through our junior year, things started working out for me. I was able to wear a bra and actually have boobs to fill it. I was pretty happy. My hips curved and… I became a woman, I suppose.

Alice and Rosalie were more than happy to see that I'd grown into my body. Finally.

Truth is, I didn't want to be a girly girl; I was perfectly content with the way things were. Until I realized what I wanted.

"Bella, you're not honestly going to wear that, are you?" Alice asked, watching as I reached for my favourite pair of cargo pants.

"Why not?" I asked in response, turning and placing my hands on my hips, looking down at her with a smirk on my face.

She huffed and stood up, barely reaching my shoulder, "Bella, look outside please. Tell me what you see."

I raised an eyebrow but gazed out my bedroom window anyway, smiling when I saw a perfect clear blue sky. "A nice day…"

"Exactly!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air and almost whacking me in the nose. "Sorry," She apologized before continuing. "A nice day, and you're wearing _cargo pants_?" She pushed out her bottom lip and spoke in a pleading voice during her next sentence. "Please, _please, _can I choose what you wear today?"

Not able to resist her wide blue eyes, ones that she got from her father, I gave in. "Fine. But just for today, only because I'm in a good mood."

"Yay!" She squealed, bouncing on the spot and clapping like a maniac. "I remember, I bought you the cutest little summer outfit a few weeks back and you haven't worn it yet." She muttered, turning and rummaging through my clothes drawer. "A-ha! Here it is," she threw the offensive items over her shoulder and ran to another spot of my room. "Put them on."

I glanced at the clothes she had given me, humming in approval, they weren't too bad. "Nice choice, Alice."

She turned and grinned at me, "I know that Edward likes the colour on you, so I got the shorts to appease him."

I groaned, flopping back onto my bed. Alice knew that I was head over heels in love with her brother. So did pretty much everyone else in our close-knit group. Emmett, Alice's other brother, would constantly tease me about it. Rosalie and Jasper, the resident twins, would shoot me knowing glances whenever Edward and I were within a metres radius of each other. It really sucked.

Alice giggled lightly and glanced at me, sprawled out on my bed wearing nothing but a bra and undies, matching ones… ones that Alice had given me. Of course.

"You might want to put your clothes on, Bella – what if someone was to walk in?"

I poked my tongue out at her, "I'd just say that you were planning to ravish me and that I was just preparing."

She rolled her eyes, "I can imagine that if my brother were to be taking my place, you wouldn't even have those on." She laughed, pointing to the undergarments she forced me into.

I blushed at least ten shades of red before sitting up and reaching for the clothes she had thrown at me. I wriggled my way into the blue denim short shorts before grabbing the grey shirt that left my entire stomach bare. It had wide straps over the shoulders and reminded me of what Rosalie wore when she would go for a run.

I reached for my brush and ran it through my hair a few times, getting rid of any offending tangles before looking up and catching the pair of black Converses that were soaring towards me. Alice was lucky I caught them otherwise I would have been going to the ER with a broken nose. With a sharp glare, I donned a pair of socks before tugging the shoes on.

"Am I acceptable now?" I asked cockily, standing up and spinning in a circle while Alice studied my outfit.

"Perfect," She laughed before reaching over and tugging on my arm, pulling me out of my bedroom.

Charlie, my father, looked up when we came jogging down the stairs, surprised to see that I didn't trip. "Still going to the beach today, girls?" He asked, setting the paper down on the table and taking a drink of his coffee.

"Yes, sir," Alice replied with a beaming smile.

"Alice," He scolded. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Charlie? Sir is what kids call me when they get busted."

Alice laughed, "Sorry, Charlie."

He smiled before looking at me, "Try not to hurt yourself today, Bella."

I rolled my eyes, "No promises, Dad."

My two onlookers shared a laugh before I was violently pulled towards the front door. A shouted goodbye later, we were outside and jogging down the driveway.

"Why the heck are you so excited, Alice? If Emmett gave you sugar this morning, I swear to God, tell me now."

She poked her tongue out at me and got into her yellow Porsche, way too flashy for Forks. "I want to see Jasper, dearest Bella. Believe me, if I had been given sugar this morning, we'd be at the beach already."

I laughed as she reversed out of the driveway and took off down the street.

* * *

By the time we pulled up at First Beach in La Push, everyone else was there. I opened my door, stepping out into the warm sun. With a happy sigh, I reached up over my head and arched my back, feeling the muscles stretch and relax from sitting for such a long time.

Alice wanted to stop for ice cream…

"Bella!" A high, feminine voice cried.

I turned to see a young girl with auburn hair and brown eyes jogging towards us. She wrapped me up in a hug when she reached the car, laughing into my mahogany tresses.

"Hey, Ness." I chimed, hugging her back.

She pulled away and looked up at me, "It's been ages since I've seen you. Where have you been?"

I pretended to think about it for a few moments, watching her squirm with her impatience. I laughed, giving in. "I'm in my last few weeks of school, kiddo. I've been studying."

Renesmee cringed and swatted at my arm, "I'm only a year younger than you, Bella."

I laughed, slinging my arm over her shoulders as we walked; Alice joined us after grabbing a few things from the car. "But still, my dear Nessie – it's a year younger nonetheless. I'm eighteen and you're seventeen. I'm a legal adult, so… you're a kid. Don't argue with me."

Alice giggled and ruffled my hair, "Smart-ass."

"Who, me?" I asked, waving her comment off. "Never." With a grin, I turned back to my La Push buddy. "So, how's Jake treating you? If he's being a pain, I'll punch him in the face."

Renesmee laughed, tipping her head back in amusement. "Bella, if you punched him in the face you'd break your hand." She giggled and I couldn't help but agree. Jacob Black was a massive kid with abs of steel. But, he took good care of my Nessie, and he had a heart of gold.

"Who'd break Bella's hand?" Emmett asked as we walked into view, the sun shining down on our skin.

I jerked a thumb at Ness, "Her monstrous boyfriend."

"I'm not that bad!" A deep voice whined from behind us. I rolled my eyes as a pair of russet brown arms wound around Nessie's middle, a big, lovable face poking over her shoulder. "Hey, Bells."

I laughed, "Hey, Jake. Causing trouble again?"

He grinned widely in response, "Do you ever expect any less?"

I shrugged, "I guess not." I muttered. "So, what did I miss?"

Emmett sighed, walking over to our spot for the day, sprawling out on Rosalie's towel. "Nothing much, Rosie let me put sunscreen on her earlier," He rambled, smiling lazily. "It was great."

"Did you cop a feel?" I asked with a smirk.

He grinned back, "Of course."

Alice pulled a face and looked around for Jasper, "You're the furthest thing from a girl, Bella." She sighed.

I rolled my eyes, hearing the joke in her voice. "Admit it, Alice – if you weren't dating Jasper you'd hit on me."

She laughed and stretched up on her toes, pecking my cheek. "Have you guys seen Jasper?"

Rosalie hummed, walking into view wearing a red tank top and white short shorts. "He was out in the surf with Edward before."

"And now we're out of the water," Jasper's cool, Southern accent floated through the air before he popped out of nowhere, swinging Alice up into his arms and pressing a tender kiss to her lips. With a blush, I looked away, not wanting to intrude.

"Did you bring your swimmers, Bellsy?" Emmett asked, smiling as Rosalie perched herself on his stomach.

I nodded, "They're in the car."

I've had a lot of embarrassing moments in the last few weeks alone, and so it didn't come as a shock that I screamed like a little kid watching a horror film when a pair of warm hands grabbed my hips and a low voice shouted my name from behind me.

Quil and Embry, Jake's two best friends came sprinting over to us from the car park when they heard my scream of terror; only to burst into loud laughter along with the rest of the group when they saw what had caused me to act like an idiot.

I whirled around and came face to face with the man who made my heart stutter. Windblown bronze hair, bright green eyes, straight nose, angular jaw and full lips that taunted me every second of the day. Edward Cullen.

"Dammit, Edward!" I cried, slapping his bicep, trying to ignore the tingles that shot through me when he caught me by the wrist. "Don't do that," I whined.

With that damn cocky smirk in place, he leaned forward so that he was staring me straight in the eyes. He chuckled quietly before ducking his head so that he could whisper in my ear, "Admit it, Bella – you love it when I make you scream."

_Whoa._

I swallowed loudly and wriggled my arm out of his grip, with a well practiced roll of my eyes; I turned and reached for the football that Jake was balancing on his head. "Keep telling yourself that, Cullen."

Jake threw me the ball and I kicked it around gently, sharing a wide-eyed glance with Alice. Edward had never done something like that before… I wanted to know what was going on. Did the guys have a bet going or something?

With a quick shake of my head, I got the soccer ball up on the top of my foot before kicking it down the beach, watching as Jake and Emmett raced for it.

Half an hour and one exciting game of soccer later, we were all sitting around telling jokes and calling Jake soft whenever he kissed Nessie on the cheek. As the day wore on, Edward and I started arguing about whose team actually won the soccer match.

"Edward, you have to face the facts – we kicked your ass. Your own _brother _joined my team because he knew who had more skills on the field."

Emmett looked up from his sandwich, "She's right, Eddie. We kicked some serious ass today."

Edward laughed, watching me with wide eyes, "Oh, Bella. Poor, poor Bella. It's gentlemanly to let the woman win."

I scoffed, "Excuse me? Do I look like a woman to you?" Realizing how ridiculous I sounded, I looked away.

Nevertheless, Edward's eyes skimmed across my body, raising goose bumps on my skin. "Well… yeah, you do." His eyes darkened playfully as he reached for me, grabbing onto my sides. "If you had your swimmers on, I'd suggest we go for a dip. But, since you don't – I can use it to my advantage."

Alice gasped, her eyes narrowing. "Don't you dare, Edward."

Emmett laughed loudly, "Wet t-shirt!" He cried.

I scrambled out of his grip, standing up with my arms held out in surrender, "Don't… Edward, no. Don't!"

Being an idiot and not listening to me, Edward lurched forward, scooping me up into his arms and ran faster than I thought possible down to the rolling surf. I barely had time to squeal before I was thrown in the water.

The cool liquid enveloped my body, washing away the sticky feeling of being sweaty, which I was thankful for – one of the perks of playing sports at the beach, I suppose. Other than that, I got water up my nose, and on my nice dry clothes. That _wasn't _a perk. I may not be girly, but that doesn't mean I like walking around in soaking wet clothes, thank you very much.

The spot he'd thrown me into was surprisingly deep, and I shivered under the water when I felt his warm arms wind around my waist, tugging me upwards. I could hear loud, boisterous laughter coming from all directions as I emerged from the surf, coughing and spluttering.

I opened my eyes and then narrowed them at Edward who was laughing down at me. "Thanks for that, asshole." I scolded.

He continued to chortle as my "tiger-kitten" anger made an appearance. I grabbed onto his shoulders and hoisted myself up, wrapping my legs around in his waist to keep myself anchored to something so that I didn't go down again. Edward's laughter cut short as we came face to face, his breath washing over my dripping skin.

My lips parted and I took a deep breath, watching as he leaned towards me, our lips coming closer and closer with each passing second. When he was less than an inch away, I breathed his name and he froze, his fingers digging into my hips. With a heavy sigh, he leaned away, watching me with cautious eyes.

"Come on, Bella," He mumbled, turning to wander out of the water. "Let's get you dried up."

I sighed, feeling the sun beat down on my back, it felt nice. Edward's scent swallowed me, and I shivered, feeling his grip tighten. I inwardly cursed myself, he was _so close _and then I had to go and put my feelings in the way. Maybe he wasn't going to kiss me at all. It was then that I realized I didn't want to have to deal with this anymore. I wanted him, and my God, I was going to have him.

But, I needed help.

The second my feet touched the ground, I picked up my towel and began to rub it against my hair, doing my best to dry it out. I sighed a little and walked over to Alice, grabbing her hand before continuing on to yank at Rosalie's arm. She looked up at me in confusion, but got up and followed me nonetheless.

I dragged the two of them to Alice's car before I turned back to them. I watched their expressions as they took in mine; Alice smiled and crossed her arms, eager to find out what I had to say. Rosalie looked at Alice and then me, her expression changing to one of recognition. I wonder how often these two spoke about my infatuation with Alice's brother.

"I'm sick and tired of this, girls." I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "He treats me like a little sister, and I've had enough. I want him to look at me in a way that makes my toes curl. I want him to see me as I see him." I watched as their expressions brightened. I was too scared to ask what was going through their heads. "But, I need your help."

Rosalie smirked before turning to tap Alice on the shoulder, "You owe me ten bucks." She muttered, laughing when Alice's bottom lip pushed out.

"You two were betting on me?" I whined, blushing a deep red.

Alice giggled lightly, "Honestly, Bella. It was only a matter of time before you came to us. We were just having a friendly bet as to how long it took."

Rose laughed again, "Yeah and you lost."

I groaned and looked away, "Look, I really need to know whether you guys are going to help me or not… I'd like it if you said yes." I mumbled, watching my feet.

"Oh, Bella." Alice sighed, walking up and stroking her fingers through my hair. "We're your best friends; of course we'll help you."

Rosalie chuckled and stepped forward, resting her hand on my shoulder. "I've seen the way you look at him. I want you to be happy; it's a bit of a stupid question to ask."

I smiled at them, overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thanks girls, I mean it."

Rose winked at me before shaking her head, "Bella Swan is crossing over to the dark side."

* * *

The two girls chattered amongst themselves throughout the day. I spent my time blasting music through Emmett's car stereo. Alice wrinkled her nose as my choices, just because she wasn't cultured in good music.

By the time we decided to go home, I was just about ready to zone out on the warm sand. I had been going and going and going all day, but I had an absolute blast. Emmett thought it would be funny to carry me back to Alice's car and throw me into the back seat. He laughed when I glared at him.

"You want to come and play baseball tomorrow, Bells?" He asked as I moved to sit up straight. The car door was still open, and he was leaning on it, peeking into the car.

Before I could answer, Alice ducked under his arm and began to push on his chest. "Bella is going to be hanging out with Rose and I over the weekend. You boys have her all the time; we want to spend some time with her."

Jasper laughed from over Emmett's shoulder, "A sleepover?" He asked. "Best of luck, Bella!"

"Thanks," I muttered to myself as Rosalie kissed Emmett's cheek and slid into the passenger's seat. "I'm gonna need it."

I think I fell asleep at one point on the way home, because I was woken by a fierce shaking from my left side. I rolled my head onto my shoulder to glance at Alice with tired eyes. The sun was beginning to set, and I was ready for bed.

Alice laughed as I stumbled inside; desperately wanting to get out of the clothes she put me in. We said hi to Charlie as we passed him. I continued to whine and groan as Alice and Rosalie pushed me up the steps.

"Get some rest while you can, Bella." Alice chimed as Rosalie sat down on my bed. "I'm gonna go tell Charlie that you're staying with us for the weekend."

"Kay," I mumbled, peeling my shirt from my body. I'd have a shower later; I was so tired right about now. After changing into a pair of cargo pants and an old shirt, I flopped down onto my bed.

Rose smiled down at me, patting my flat stomach, "You asked for this, Bella. You want him, and we're going to help you get him. It won't be too hard; I know that he doesn't think of you as a sister."

I sighed and relaxed into the mattress, "Prove your point."

She chuckled and fiddled with the hem of her shirt, "Today, after you two almost kissed – yeah, I saw it. He set you down and the look on his face was so torn. He wants you, Bella. He's just scared. He doesn't know what it'll do to your relationship."

I laughed weakly, "Who told you that?"

She grinned, "Emmett, he's speedy with the text messaging."

We didn't say any more on the subject, and we didn't need to, because Alice danced through the door not three seconds later. "Your dad has no problem with you staying at my place, Bella. And of course, Rosalie will be there, too. We need to get you off all this guy stuff."

"Actually," Rosalie interrupted. "Edward likes her for who she is, we just need to get him to notice her for how she looks. She's gorgeous; she just needs to stand out."

"Um, girls?" I asked, waving my hands above my head. "Can we talk about this tomorrow, I'm kind of tired. Go plot in your own houses."

The two girls shared a laugh before they wandered out of my bedroom, closing the door quietly behind them. With a contented sigh, I rolled over and drifted off to sleep, absolutely terrified of what I'd gotten myself into.

* * *

The following morning, I was practically shaking in my favourite pair of Converses. I'd had a terrible dream about being chased down the street by giant mascara bottles, high heeled shoes and hot pink nail polish. It was horrible.

I was sitting on the hood of my truck, my ipod in my ears as The Middle by Jimmy Eat World rang through the small buds in my ears. I tapped my feet against the side of my giant red truck as I waited for Alice to come and pick me up.

The minute the song finished, Alice pulled into the driveway, her canary yellow car standing out against the green pallor of our hometown.

Forks was so very charming.

As usual, the little pixie danced out of her car wearing some ridiculously expensive outfit. My lips twitched, pulling up into a smile as she twirled over to me. One look from her and I knew that she didn't like what I was wearing. I pulled out my ear buds just in time to hear the beginning of her latest whining session.

"Bellaaaaa," She wailed, drawing my name out in that annoying way. "What are you wearing?"

I grinned and looked down at my clothes. I wore a pair of blue jeans with a black tank top, along with my favourite pair of Converses. "What the hell is wrong with this, Alice? I've seen you wear something along the lines of this maybe… once before."

Alice rolled her eyes, "Yeah, before I realized that I had nicer clothes to wear."

I smirked at her and hopped down from my car, putting my ipod in my pocket. "Hey, I never said I was going to make this easy for you."

She gave a small huff of annoyance before reaching over my shoulder to grab the tiny little bag I was allowed to bring. "We're going past my place real quick to pick up Rosalie, and then we're going shopping."

I groaned, "You're kidding, right?"

With a wink, she tugged me along towards her car, "Get used to it, Bella."

Because Alice drives like a maniac, we were at the shops with Rosalie in record time. Alice didn't even let me get out of the car to go in and say hello to the guys. She said it was an all girls day; no testosterone until they'd had their fun with me. I missed playing Xbox with Emmett already…

I was tempted to hit the skids the second we walked through the doors into the large shopping mall. They could drag me for all I care… I don't want to do this anymore!

Rosalie turned to me, and her expression made me think that she could read my thoughts, "Take a deep breath, Bella. It'll be okay."

I nodded before turning my head to Alice who was looking at a list of shops in her tiny notebook. "What are they for, Alice?"

She winked at me, "These are all the shops we have to go to today."

I swear my jaw dropped. "There's got to be at least twenty shops on that list!"

"So?"

I groaned.

Despite my best efforts, the two managed to drag me to every shop on the list, and then some. I'd been to shoe shops, clothes shops and then all the shops that Alice and Rose wanted to go to. It's safe to say I was exhausted by the time we sat down for lunch in the food court. Rosalie laughed as I slumped into my chair, taking a bite of my salad wrap and chewing happily. Yum.

"I'll admit, Bella – you're doing well." Alice chimed as she picked at her muffin. With every few shops, we had to take our bags out to the car so that we could carry the next lot. The tiny pixie pulled out a new bottle of perfume and sprayed it on her wrists, sniffing delicately.

"How many more shops to we have to go to? My feet are killing me." I muttered, taking another bite before taking a massive gulp of my water.

Rosalie laughed as she speared a crouton with her fork, "Just one more to go, Bella."

"Yay," I breathed, relaxing into my chair.

Truth be told, that small moment of relaxation was the only one I would get for the rest of the day.

Stupid, scheming best friends.

After lunch, they grabbed my hands and led me towards their desired destination. My desired destination was the couch at Alice's place where I could play Rock Band with Edward and Emmett.

Snapping me out of my thoughts, Alice gestured to the shop that we were about to walk into. Soft lighting, lace, silk, frills. Oh no.

Immediately, I put the brakes on, forcing all of my weight downwards, but Rosalie and Alice kept on pulling, making me stumble over my feet and through the threshold into Victoria's Secret.

"I hate you two so much right now," I muttered as Rosalie and Alice pushed me into a dressing room and started throwing various undergarments over the top. You know they're on a mission when they don't stop to see the picture of you with a pair of underwear on the top of your head.

Rosalie had good aim, I'd give her that.

A good ten minutes after they had started their expedition, they came to stand outside my dressing room and waited as I tried on set after set of sexy lingerie. I'll admit that I didn't mind the snow white garter belt Rosalie bought for me. Four bags and half an hour later we made our way out of the shops and towards Alice's car. The two laughed again as I all but collapsed in the backseat.

"We are never doing that again," I whined, clicking in my seatbelt and sighing as Alice's music came on. Thankfully, she turned the volume down and peeked at me from the rear view mirror as she drove out of the parking lot.

Alice giggled, speeding like a maniac down the highway back toward Forks.

Much to my gratitude, the two let me have total peace and quiet during the drive home. I was that exhausted that I actually fell asleep at one point, only to be woken by a gentle shaking, much like I had been yesterday.

"Don't even think about falling asleep on us, Bella." Rosalie warned, watching me rub at my eyes before climbing out of the car. "We're not finished with you, yet."

"Oh joy," I replied, wandering up the Cullen's front yard, totally secluded, up the steps and across the small porch to the front door. "Can't I have just a few minutes to myself?" I asked as I opened the door, my bottom lip pushing out as I heard the distant yelling's of Emmett, Jasper and Edward as they played the Xbox.

"No way, Bella." Alice scolded, grabbing my arm and leading me down the hallway, not stopping as we passed the boys, who paused their game to watch. I mouthed _help me _as I passed.

When the two of us were out of sight, Alice let go of my arm but continued to walk ahead of me. I distantly heard Emmett yell "Panty raid!" and I smiled, realizing that Rosalie must have walked past with the Victoria's Secret bags.

"Rosalie, come on! We need you down here!" Alice cried with a smirk, tugging me into her massive bathroom. I squinted a little as the bright lights hit my tired eyes. My pixie friend eased me onto the comfortable red chair that contrasted surprisingly well with the snow white pallor of the surrounding room.

When Rosalie walked in, she smiled at me before rummaging through the nearby drawers. Alice tapped her tiny fingers against her chin in thought before she spoke. "Bella, we need to sort a few things out here, so go and have a shower to relax a bit, we'll be in here for a bit, and so by the time you're done, it'll be close to dinner."

I smirked and gave her a mock salute before wandering down the hall to the guest bathroom. Sure, Rosalie and Alice were my best friends, but I wasn't as comfortable as the two of them to strip down and hop in the shower in the same room. I could hear the boys' boisterous laughter from downstairs as I turned into the bathroom. My heart tugged uncomfortably, I really wanted to play Xbox…

_Bella, no. _I scolded myself. _This is what you want – the Xbox is always going to be around. But, when is an opportunity to get the one person that means the most to you going to pass you by again? Stick to this…_

"This is what I want," I whispered as I closed the bathroom door behind me, locked it and tugged my shirt up over my head. "For Edward."

Ten minutes later, I was washed, refreshed and relaxed as I wandered down the hallway wrapped in a large fluffy towel. I walked into Alice's room where she had laid out some of the new clothes I'd gotten today. I didn't understand why I had to put on a different set of clothes because it was almost three in the afternoon, but I wasn't going to argue. With steam still coming off my warm skin, I dropped my towel and put on the white, lacy undergarments that Alice had gotten or me. I thanked my lucky stars that Rosalie didn't put the garter belt in there… that was a little too risqué for my first time wearing such provocative clothes. They wouldn't seem that intimidating to a normal girl, but I was extremely nervous.

After taking a deep breath, I tugged them on and turned my head, catching my reflection in Alice's full length mirror. The white lace hugged gently to my hips, making my legs appear that much longer, the colour going well with my complexion. The bra pushed my breasts up, and I was surprised to find that I actually had cleavage. I never knew bras could be such miracle workers… All in all… I looked pretty sexy.

Tearing my eyes away from the attractive girl in the mirror, I tugged on my new pair of artfully faded jeans before wriggling into a sparkly black top that hugged to every curve and every dip. I knew that I'd be subjected to a crazy type of torture back in the bathroom, so, after taking a deep breath, I stuck my head out the bedroom door before tip-toeing down to the torture chamber.

"Bella!" Alice squealed when I walked back into the bathroom and plonked myself down on the comfy chair. "You look fabulous!"

Rosalie grinned and wound a lock of hair around the curling iron, "She's right, Bella. You look gorgeous."

"Thanks girls," I replied with a gentle blush. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going catch a few z's while you have your fun."

One of them mumbled something and I felt a warm curl fall against my skin, but I was too far gone after that. The exhaustion from the shopping trip hit me like a ton of bricks and I found myself sleeping soundly; dreaming of Edward and myself in some rather… compromising situations.

An hour later, I felt myself being shaken back into consciousness for the second time in one day. Alice grinned at me and without a word, turned my head towards the mirror. My rose coloured lips fell open as I gawked at the girl in the mirror.

She had graceful curls tumbling over her shoulders, gently pinned away from her face. Flushed cheeks, long lashes, dark outlined eyes… She was beautiful.

"Girls… wow." I muttered.

"Believe it or not," Rosalie began, putting the curling iron away and helping me out of my chair, "We hardly did anything. You're a natural beauty, Bella. I wish you wouldn't hide it."

"Okay, okay," I cut her off, waving my hands around. "Don't start on me, can we just go downstairs? I need more civilization."

"Translation," Alice smirked. "She needs Rock Band."

Not bothering to answer, I sashayed out of the room, listening to their laughter as I attempted to swing my hips like they did. I felt like a total idiot; Bella Swan was not made for attempting ridiculous forms of seduction.

Going without shoes, I wandered down the large swirling staircase to the main room where the sounds of video games reached my ears. Sigh. Honey, I'm home. I peeked around the corner to see Emmett and Jasper's backs while Edward's voice came from the kitchen, laughing and teasing the two boys that were currently button mashing their poor controllers. Grinning, I took a deep breath and gave a high pitched whistle, ducking out of sight again as the sound effects stopped, the game having been paused.

"That you, Bellsy?" Emmett called.

"Might be," I answered, bouncing slightly on the balls of my feet.

I heard Jasper chuckle before he spoke, "Well, come on out, then. We'd like to see the finished product."

I took a deep breath and stepped into view, gently smoothing out my sparkly shirt. I kept my eyes firmly trained on my feet, wiggling my toes and smiling at the strange sight. Emmett wolf-whistled and I raised my head, taking in their wide eyes and parted lips.

"Wow, Bella. I have to admit, girl… You look hot." Emmett stated bluntly. "And you have boobs."

I not-so-subtly flipped him off.

"Should I go get the camera?" Jasper teased before glancing towards the kitchen. "Edward, get your scrawny ass out here and come look at Bella!"

I listened as his footsteps grew louder, the sound of his feet padding against the floor ringing in my ears. When they stopped, I looked towards the man that made my heart pound against my rib-cage.

Edward stood in the arch that led to the kitchen holding a packet of chips. His eyes were wide and his lips had fallen open, his eyebrows were raised and his cheeks were flushed. With a nervous laugh, I shifted my weight, watching as he seemed to find himself again. After clearing his throat, he locked his gaze with mine.

"Bella…" He breathed. The sound of it sent shivers down my spine. "You look… wow… you look…"

"I know." I replied, blushing violently.

The sound of a throat clearing from behind me broke our ongoing stare. I shook my head and turned to look at Alice and Rosalie who were both wearing knowing smirks on their faces. Alice walked up to Jasper and stroked the backs of her fingers down his cheek. "Can you help me in the kitchen, sweetie? I'm gonna order pizza for dinner, and I need you to write some things down for me."

"Of course," he replied, his Southern accent making me smile. Rosalie and I shared a glance before she followed the rest of them, grabbing Edward's arm and tugging on it as she passed. I already had one Cullen child's approval, but I wanted the opinion from the other one.

"Emmett?" I asked timidly once the room was empty. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He smiled brightly back at me, patting the spot next to him on the couch. "Of course, Bellsy."

I grinned and walked around to the front of the couch, sitting next to him and folding one leg under me, stretching the other one out. "Um… how to start…"

"How about you start at the beginning?" He suggested, watching me with a raised eyebrow. I went to talk but he cut me off. "Oh, and Bella? If this is about Edward, I already know."

My jaw dropped open and my cheeks flushed, "You do?"

He grinned, proud of himself as he gave a large, over exaggerated nod. "I notice things, Bella." He answered. "You both look at each other the same way; it's about time one of you acted on it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing; Emmett was always laid back about these things… but still…

"Honestly, Bells." He groaned, ruffling my already curly hair. "He's my brother and you're one of my best friends, I want nothing more than for the two of you to be happy. And I know you want him to notice you and all, and it's nice that you're connecting with your inner woman… just… don't change too much, okay?"

I smiled, leaning in and resting my head on his ridiculously muscled chest. He wrapped his arms tenderly around my torso, cuddling me like a big brother. "Thank you, Emmett. But seriously… this isn't weird for you at all?"

He laughed against my hair, the sound rumbling against my ear, "Not at all, Bell. Just… don't go having crazy sexy times where I can see, alright? Because you know I'll get you back for it."

I wrinkled my nose and sat up, swatting at his shoulder. "Emmett, that's disgusting."

"Emmett Jr. is not disgusting!" Rosalie argued as she walked back into the room with everyone else in tow. "In fact, if he angles it just right, he can –"

"Dude, shut up!" I cried, throwing my hands over my ears, cringing as Jasper and Emmett bumped knuckles. "There are some things I just don't want to hear…"

Jasper chuckled, sitting down on the single chair and pulling Alice onto his lap as Rosalie curled in next to Emmett and Edward came to sit next to me. "Alice ordered the pizza and it should be here in about… twenty minutes or so."

"In the meantime… Rock Band!" Emmett cried, turning on the required gaming console.

"Thank God," I sighed, leaning my head back on… Edward's arm? I turned my head to glance at Edward who was staring at the screen. I certainly wasn't going to argue against the situation, so, to push my luck; I curled in a little bit closer. Edward chuckled and let his fingers play with the curls in my hair.

"It looks nice, Bella." He whispered as the game started and Emmett picked up the guitar while Alice reached for the drums. "Your hair."

I smiled up at him, grabbing a lock between my fingers and examining it closely. "You think so? It's just curled…"

"Trust me," He said, cutting me off. "It looks nice."

The night consisted of endless rounds of Rock Band and other games, we eventually got around to sharing childhood stories. And, as we talked and laughed, I noticed that Edward's fingers would gently stroke my neck whenever I leaned my head back against his arm.

By the time it got close to midnight, Alice announced that it was time for bed; everyone, already exhausted and full of pizza, didn't think to object. The tiny little pixie grabbed my hand and tugged me up to the guest room, handing me a silk nightgown when the door closed behind us.

"Put this on, and don't argue with me. Don't forget to go and say goodnight to Edward." She instructed, stretching up on her toes to peck my cheek. "I'll see you in the morning, sleep well, Bella."

"Goodnight, Alice." I laughed, shimmying out of my jeans as the door closed for a second time. I gently pulled the pins from my hair and got rid of all the other bits of clothing that I didn't need before I slipped into the snowy white nightgown. It had tiny little spaghetti straps and stopped at mid thigh. The material felt cool and very pleasant against my skin.

I took a deep breath and wandered down the hallway towards Edward's room, calling my goodnights to everyone as I went. Emmett replied with a loud burp and I heard a squeal of laughter from Rosalie follow.

When I reached Edward's door, I knocked gently, hearing him call quietly for whoever was on the other side to come in. My breath caught in my throat when I pushed the door open; Edward was laying on his bed, without a shirt, the glow of the moon illuminating his gorgeous skin. His bronze hair was as disheveled as ever and I stared at the V of his hips as it disappeared under the blanket which was resting on his hip bones. I knew he wore boxers to bed, but still. Phew!

"Bella…" He breathed, for the second time today. I raised my eyes to look at him; he wore the same expression that he had earlier. Déjà vu, anyone?

"Like it?" I asked, gesturing to the sensual material that brushed against my skin as I wandered towards him. I saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed, watching as I slowly climbed on to the bed, stalking towards him.

"It's gorgeous." He muttered, not taking his eyes away from my face.

I leaned forward when I reached him, tasting his breath on the back of my tongue, toothpaste… "Well," I began, reaching up to thread my fingers through his silky locks, like I usually did when I was bored. "I really just came in to say goodnight, so…" I brushed my nose across his cheek before pressing my lips to the skin there. Edward inhaled brokenly into my ear as I let my lips linger, sparks shooting through my body. I gently pulled my mouth away and leaned back, catching his eye. I wanted nothing more than for him to grab the back of my head and kiss me with all the passion he could; instead, he raised his hand to cup my cheek, gasping when I turned my head and kissed his palm.

"Goodnight," I breathed, slinking off the bed although I desperately wanted to stay.

I was almost to the door when Edward called my name in one of the softest tones I've ever heard. When I turned, I met his bright green eyes, full of an emotion I couldn't place. "Goodnight, love." He breathed gently.

I smiled warmly before leaving his room with a quiet sigh.

* * *

I awoke the following morning to the sounds of laughter and loud voices coming from the kitchen. With a smile, I stretched my arms above my head and arched my back, getting rid of all the kinks and tight spots that came with sleep. Sighing contentedly, I slinked off the bed, ran my hands through my hair and padded towards my door, opening it and smiling wider as the laughing grew louder.

I ran my hands across the silky material of my night-gown thing as I wandered down the stairs, doing my best not to trip in my weariness. I rubbed at my eyes as I cleared the last step, walking into the kitchen and stopping at the door frame, my eyes wide with amusement.

Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Rosalie were all dancing around the kitchen in their pajamas, some covered in flour while others had a gooey substance that resembled pancake batter smeared on their cheeks.

"Should I be worried?" I called into the giggling mess of teenagers. They all turned towards me and bright smiles lit up their faces.

"Good morning, Bella!" Rosalie sang, wrapping her arms around Emmett's torso as he kissed her hair.

"Morning," I replied, still smiling. "Can I ask what you lot are doing?"

Jasper grinned, wiping some batter off Alice's cheek, "We're attempting to make pancakes for breakfast. As you can see, it's not going so well, even though all of us can cook."

"As usual, we got distracted…" Alice trailed off with a sheepish smile. "And, may I say, that you look gorgeous. I knew that nightgown would be perfect."

"Thanks, Alice." I replied, playing with a lock of my hair, "Why didn't you wake me? I would have been happy to help…" I pushed out my bottom lip, catching Edward's eye as he smiled at my ridiculous expression. He wasn't used to seeing this… remotely girly Bella. Well… not even remotely girly, just a Bella that actually dressed like a girl.

"Bella, really," Rosalie sighed. "You were exhausted after yesterday, you deserved your rest. Besides, I don't think a fog horn would have woken you up, you slept like a log."

I laughed, shaking my head at them as I reached for a bowl, "Now, what's next?"

The next twenty or so minutes consisted of more absolute stupidity, but we actually managed to get a monstrous amount of pancakes made. When we sat down around the lounge room to eat, Edward once again came to sit next to me; Alice watched us with bright eyes, winking at me when I caught her gaze.

Because he's Emmett – the pancakes on his plate were covered in maple syrup, and he ended up with most of it dribbling down his chin. When Jasper said that he had syrup all over his face, he went to make a perverted joke, but Alice stopped him, considering we were eating and all.

When we were done, I picked up most of the plates and took them into the kitchen, hearing Edward following close behind. Carlisle had dropped in while we had been eating breakfast. He was doing a long shift at the hospital and he had to go back after half an hour. Esme was in Seattle with a few friends, so she was gone for the weekend.

As I started loading the dishwasher, I felt pleasant warmth on my arm and turned to see Edward with his fingers wrapped around my wrist. He smiled down at me, watching as I straightened up and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Bella, go and have a shower, I can finish up here." He breathed, a few stay locks of his bronze hair falling in his eyes. My fingers twitched with the desperate need to brush them away.

"Edward," I replied in the same soft tone. "I'm the guest here and I intend to pull my weight."

He chuckled, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear, my heartbeat accelerated. Why was he suddenly getting so close to me? Could… could this actually be working? "Honestly, Bella – you practically live here. Go and have a shower and get ready for the day. As far as I know, we're all going to the movies."

"We are?" I asked, dazed. "I didn't know that… I was hoping to play soccer today… maybe squeeze in a bit of Rock Band before my next torture session."

Edward smiled at me before stepping away and loading the last few plates into the dishwasher. "Hurry up and finish eating, Emmett!" He called, "I'm about to start the dishwasher."

Just as he finished his sentence, Rosalie raced in with his plate in her hand and a bit of pancake on her fork. "Bella," She whined. "Emmett can't eat anymore and I'm beyond full, there's just this tiny bit left, can you eat it, please?" She begged, watching as I grinned and grabbed the fork from her hand. "Thank you! Okay, I'm gonna go have a shower in the downstairs bathroom; Alice is going to the one on the second floor, so you can use the shower next to Edward's room."

"Um… okay." I replied lamely, watching as Rosalie jogged back into the main room. "That was weird." I mumbled before popping the piece of pancake into my mouth, shaking my head with a smile as the sweetness of the syrup dripped down my lips.

Edward chuckled next to me, brushing his finger against the corner of his mouth, indicating where the syrup was on my face. I blushed, beginning to reach up to my lips to wipe off the offending stickiness.

But, before I could touch my fingers to it, Edward captured my wrist again and leaned forward very slowly, his eyes sparkling. I took a shaky breath as he exhaled against my mouth before his lips closed over the sticky mark, right on the corner of my lips. Against my will, the feeling of his lips being so close to mine for the second time in twenty-four hours caused a violent shudder to roll across my body.

Edward chuckled against my skin, sucking gently before he pulled away, leaning back far enough so that he could look me in the eyes. He ran his tongue across his bottom lip in a sinfully tempting way, which forced a quiet little whimper from the back of my throat. The sound of Jasper swearing and Emmett's cry of triumph as they played Xbox again brought me back to reality. I shook my head a little with a soft laugh, glancing back at Edward who was watching me with the strangest expression on his face. Once again, I felt that same urge to kiss him, to feel him grab onto me and kiss me with everything he had.

I sighed when he trailed his fingers down my cheek, leaning into his welcome touch. His thumb ran over the apple of my cheek and I smiled, realizing that if I didn't move soon, someone was going to walk in on us. I was tremendously happy to see that I actually had an effect on him.

"So… I have to have a shower… right?" I asked, dazedly staring up at him.

He smiled gently and nodded, "Yep, go on – I'm sure Alice and Rosalie will want to play Bella Barbie with you again…" He paused. "Why are you doing this, Bella? Letting them dress you up and all?"

_So I can get in your pants. _I giggled quietly at that thought, knowing just how true it was. "Well, they've been nagging me for ages; I thought it was time I gave in."

With another smile, he pushed me towards the lounge room, turning back to the dishwasher.

After I was showered and all, I was back in the comfy chair while Alice and Rosalie fiddled with my hair and make-up. They made me tell them about my encounter with Edward in the kitchen, and they giggled like idiots, saying that they knew he felt something for me, and that the sucking on the lip thing proved it.

Half and hour later, I was done and the three of us were walking down the stairs, ready to go to the movies. I was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a white short-sleeve off the shoulder t-shirt, a light grey jacket and black flats. My hair was much the same as yesterday, not as curly, but curled enough that my mahogany locks tumbled down my back in graceful ringlets, once again pinned away from my face.

Emmett wolf-whistled when we came into view and I blushed, not used to the attention, or dressing like this. Edward had that expression on his face; again! It was a mixture of awe, longing, shock, amusement and… lust? As well as that one expression that I couldn't place, it made butterflies go crazy in my stomach. I didn't want him to stop looking at me like that.

As we made our way to the cars outside the Cullen house, Alice began telling us who we would be riding with. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and the ever lovely pixie were going in Emmett's Jeep while Edward and I were going in the silver Volvo that belonged to the man I was going to be riding with.

Rosalie Hale and Alice Cullen really are persistent…

Edward smiled at me and led me over to his car, his hand on the small of my back. He opened my door and then walked around to his side of the car. Always the gentleman. As we cruised out of the long driveway, I messed with his CD player, smiling when Clair De Lune came on – I turned to him with a smile, his eyes were trained on the road, but he was smiling as well.

"You always loved this song…" I sighed.

"You remember?" He asked, glancing at me quickly.

I laughed a little, "Edward, I've known you for almost two years; of course I know your favourite composition." I replied, closing my eyes and leaning back against the seat.

I heard him chuckle before his hand closed around mine, which was resting on my thigh. My eyes opened and I looked at him, but he was watching the road; his thumb rubbed gentle circles into the skin of my hand and I sighed, squeezing his fingers.

The drive to the Port Angeles cinema passed in a similar fashion. We spoke about whatever song came on the stereo, we spoke about our favourite books, TV shows, movies, sports (he spoke more than I did on that one), food, everything under the sun. It was the single most intimate moment of my life.

When we pulled up behind Emmett's Jeep, Edward got out and then came over to my side of the car, opening the door and taking my hand again as soon as I stood. I raised an eyebrow at him but he merely grinned in response. Rosalie decided that we were going to see a new romantic comedy, and the only reason Emmett agreed was because there was a sex scene in it. That's the only way you can lure the big bear into anything with romance in it.

"This should be interesting," Jasper laughed as we walked to the concession stand. "Do you think he'll buy one of everything?"

Edward grinned, his fingers still wrapped around mine, "Ten bucks says he gets the largest sized popcorn they have."

We all listened intently, Edward grinning when his brothers' booming voice reached us. "Give me the biggest sized popcorn bucket you have!"

Jasper grinned, winked at me and then took Alice to the lolly section. Edward tugged on my hand and took me to the concession stand along with everyone else.

"What do you want, love?" He asked, gazing down at me, making me feel like the most beautiful creature in the world. I don't see why though, we weren't even dating. But, was it possible that he wanted the same things I did?

"Um… I'm good with whatever you're having." I replied, looking away with a blush.

Edward ordered a medium popcorn, a large coke and some skittles. I closed my lips over the straw and sucked as we walked into the theatre, hiccupping as we sat down. Edward grinned at me, the light illuminating his bronze hair as his eyes danced with amusement. When the previews started, Emmett gave a very loud, exaggerated "Shh!" to everyone sitting in the same theatre and then turned to the large screen, giving it every bit of his attention.

I'll admit, it was a pretty good movie – sweet and funny at the same time. Emmett would constantly lean over and whisper to Rose, asking when the sexy time was coming. Every now and again, Edward and I would both reach for the popcorn or the drink or the skittles and our hands would touch. I couldn't see his face very well in the dim light, but I could have sworn he was smiling.

Eventually, we got to the scene that Emmett had been waiting or; and even though we were in a theatre full of people, Emmett went on ahead and cried, "Woo!" so loud that he got a few raised eyebrows.

I watched as the couple on screen locked lips with a passion that made my heart race. Mechanically, I reached for the Coke to cool myself down, but froze when Edward grabbed my hand, twining my fingers with his. I glanced at him but he was staring straight at the screen, his chest rising and falling faster than usual. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were wide and bright. Who knew romantic comedies could be raunchy?

Squeezing his fingers, I turned back to the screen just as the couple toppled onto the bed. Even though the shots were tastefully done, I could still see enough that I knew what was going on, and the noises the two were making certainly weren't helping. With every moan the girl gave, Edward would squeeze my fingers, making my skin tingle. I found myself replacing the couple with Edward and myself, and this probably wasn't the best place to do it, either. As the two cried out as they reached their release, a tiny moan passed my lips; no one but Edward heard it, but it was enough. He turned to me with wide eyes, lips parted and a hungry gaze that made my cheeks flush. A peal of laughter from the audience broke our stare as the scene changed.

It was safe to say that I struggled to follow the rest of the storyline.

When the movie finished, the lights brightened and we stood up, stretching our muscles before we walked out of the cinema. Just as I had expected him to, Edward took my hand as we walked out of the building. We shared a smile as we wandered down the street with the rest of the crazy people that we loved.

We ended up going to La Bella Italia for lunch and Edward took the orders for everyone, getting me the mushroom ravioli without even having to ask me about it. I was a little surprised that he knew my favourite dish. While we waited, the group started a conversation about the movie we'd just seen.

"Honestly, though," Emmett began. "The sex scene was rubbish! Rosie and I could do better recording it with my phone!"

"Emmett!" Rosalie whispered, her cheeks flushing.

The bear in question looked down at her with a bright smile, "What, baby? You know it's true, you really are the most limber –"

"Shut up!" She whined, looking around at the people that had listened in on our conversation.

Giggling quietly, I looked at the familiar scenery of the room; I'd been here countless times before, all with friends. Every time, I ordered the mushroom ravioli. The one they made here was the best I'd had.

I jumped a little when a hand came to rest on my thigh, squeezing slightly. I looked at Edward who was sitting next to me, but he simply smiled down at me, his eyes dancing.

Was he… was he flirting?

The whole time we were there, he kept his hand on my thigh, and after a while, I dropped my hand under the table and placed it over his, tracing small circles around his knuckles. I heard him sigh quietly, and I smiled, stabbing a piece of ravioli with my fork and tossing it in my mouth. Yum.

We hung out in Port Angeles all day, and didn't get home until almost four in the afternoon. Emmett and Jasper went back to their Xbox rivalry, their cries following me as I walked up to my room – Edward trailed behind me, closing the bedroom door once we were both inside.

"Do you mind if I hang out with you? I've had enough of staring at screens all day." He muttered, standing awkwardly near the doorway.

I laughed, kicking off my flats and taking my jacket off, picking up Wuthering Heights as I passed my backpack and getting comfortable at the top of my bed. "Edward, you know I don't mind, come and sit with me." I replied, patting the space next to where I was curled up, leaning against the headboard.

Smiling brightly, he walked over to the bed, taking off his shoes before he came to sit next to me. Taking notice of the book I had in my hands, he raised an eyebrow. "Wuthering Heights, again? You always read this book…"

"So?" I asked, bumping against his shoulder. "What's that got to do with anything?"

He chuckled, shaking his head, "Nothing, it's just one of the things that makes you so unique, I suppose." He smiled and eyed the tattered old book before looking back at me. "Can I read to you?"

His question surprised me, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Shrugging, I handed him the book and he opened it to where I had last left off. He inhaled, preparing to speak before he stopped and looked at how I was sitting.

"I'm not reading to you until you're comfortable." He instructed, shimmying down until he was lying on his back, fully on the mattress. I smiled at him, following his instructions and curling in next to him, resting my head in the crook of his neck.

He read quietly and in a voice so gentle that I began to float into unconsciousness. His fingers trailed through my hair again and again, so softly. I sighed into his neck, hearing him chuckle before he continued reading. Just as I drifted off, I heard him read my favourite line in the whole book…

"If all else perished and she remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained and she were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger."

The last thought I had was that he changed the words… I'd have to correct him later…

With a contented sigh, I stretched my arms up over my head, opening my eyes and gazing out my window… It wasn't nighttime a few minutes ago… Why wasn't Edward reading anymore?

Confused, I rolled over to see that Edward had gone and that Wuthering Heights was sitting on the pillow next to my head. I glanced at the bedside clock, the numbers reading 2:30am. Man… why was I up so early? But, as it normally was with me, once I was up, it took serious concentration for me to get back to sleep.

My stomach grumbled quietly, reminding me that I'd slept right through dinner. Chuckling to myself, I crawled out of bed, reaching for my nightgown that was folded up neatly on the end of my bed. Alice, no doubt. As I changed, I let my thoughts wander – Edward had been reading to me when I fell asleep, but what happened next? Did he get up and leave or did he stay and continue reading? What happened? I blushed, feeling bad for zonking out on him like that, but I was just so tired…

Biting my lip, I padded silently down the staircase towards the kitchen, watching as the moonlight spilled across every surface of the house – it was very pretty. When I got down to the kitchen I grabbed an apple and hopped up on the island in the middle of the room. I took a timid bite, listening as the quiet _crunch _echoed throughout the room.

I let my thoughts dance joyfully to Edward. He'd been acting so peculiar all weekend; he'd been closer than usual, touching me whenever he could. He was so affectionate, so caring, so loving… Love.

I knew how I felt about him, I loved him more than anything; more than my own life, but I didn't know how he felt. I wanted to wake up next to him every morning, to be able to kiss him whenever I wanted, to love him without restraint and know that I was loved in return.

Sighing deeply, I threw my apple core at the bin, smiling in triumph as it went in. Go me! Chuckling, I turned to look out the large window again when I heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen. I froze as Edward's moonlit silhouette entered the kitchen, wandering straight to the fridge and opening the door, listening to the low hum it made and staring at its contents as thought they would solve his problems. He didn't look like he'd gotten any sleep so far.

I watched with an amused expression as he pulled out the carton of orange juice and took a massive gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing with the movement. Slowly, he pulled the carton away from his lips and put it back in the fridge, running a hand through his hair before leaning against the island, his back facing me.

Rolling my eyes, I shifted slightly before speaking, "Glasses are there for a reason, you know."

With a gasp, Edward whirled around, his eyes wide as he realized that he wasn't alone in the large kitchen. His bare chest was open to my ogling eyes, almost glowing in the bright light of the moon. I licked my lips and heard him breathe my name.

"So, how come you're still awake?" I asked casually, waving him over.

He took a deep breath to calm down and moved so that he was leaning on the island, standing next to me. "What do you mean, still awake? I haven't been able to get to sleep at all."

Feeling confident, I reached up with my right hand and stroked my fingers through his hair, "Why not?"

He turned his head and smiled at me, "Because I wanted to fall asleep holding the girl who was just down the hall."

My eyes widened and I took a shaky breath, grabbing his hands and pulling him towards me so that he stood between my parted legs, his hip bones touching my thighs. Our lips were only inches apart, our noses rubbing together. "Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered, bringing my arms up to wrap around his neck.

"I didn't want to jeopardize our relationship," He mumbled, gripping my hips in his hands. "I cared about you too much."

"I want you," I breathed. "Always. Nothing else. Only you." I craned my neck, desperate to reach him, but he leaned away, watching me with those stunning eyes.

"You're so beautiful, Bella. You don't need make-up or pretty clothes; I love you for who you are."

I felt my eyes fill with tears at his words, "You – you love me?" I whispered, my thumbs brushing against the skin of his neck.

"I always have," He sighed, our foreheads touching.

"Oh, Edward." I breathed, pulling him closer so that our lips brushed with every word. "I love you, too."

Smiling gently, Edward leaned forward and captured my lips with his. My eyes fluttered closed and I squeezed my legs around his hips as our lips moved together softly, sweetly. We conveyed every ounce of love we possessed in that kiss; Edward's arms wrapped around my back, hugging me to him as I slid my lips over his, holding his face in my hands. His lips were so soft and shaped themselves to my own like they were meant to be there.

I whimpered quietly, desperate to breathe but not wanting to pull away. Edward smiled against my lips before he leaned back, breaking our kiss, allowing us both to pull in gulps of air, desperate to kiss again. I sighed, leaning into his palm as he cupped my cheek, his thumb running smoothly across my bottom lip. I kissed the pad of his thumb as it moved and he smiled warmly.

"All this time, the girl of my dreams was right in front of me, and I was too stupid to realize that she loved me, too." He muttered, whether to me or himself, I wasn't sure.

I smiled back at him, leaning forward to pepper his neck with gentle kisses. "It doesn't matter, we're together now, and I'm not leaving you, ever." I breathed, kissing all the way up to his ear. "I want you, Edward. Right now."

He gasped quietly, his hands sliding from my torso, back down my body to hold my hips, "Are you sure, Bella? I've never done this before and…"

"I've never done it, either. But, I'm ready. I want to give myself to you, Edward. Please, take me."

He chuckled into my hair, lifting me up off the island and holding me in his arms, sighing as I wrapped my legs around his waist, "I can't say no to you."

I kissed gently up and down his neck as he began the slow and careful walk back up to his room. It took us a good five minutes to get up the stairs because he had to stop and kiss me every thirty seconds – not that I was complaining. When we go to the third story hallway, I kissed up to his right ear, sucking on the hollow behind it; what I wasn't prepared for was the loud moan he gave as his knees buckled, causing us to bump into the wall.

I giggled quietly against his skin and continued to suck as he shook against me. I could feel his arousal poking gently against my inner thigh and I grinned, gyrating my hips as he pulled me closer. With a guttural moan he yanked me away from the wall and continued to stumble his way to his room, opening the door as quietly as he could and getting us through before he closed it again and turned, pushing me up against it.

His lips were on mine within seconds, his tongue pushing though my parted lips and running along my own. The kiss we'd shared downstairs had been my first one, so I was definitely new to this; but, the low groans and moans he was making chased my nerves away; I must have been doing something right because he seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Bed," I gasped as he flicked my top lip with his tongue.

He nodded against my mouth and pulled me away from the door, walking about seven steps before we tumbled onto the soft mattress. Edward's soft lips latched onto my own once again as I reached down to fumble with his track pants, I managed to push them off his hips before I gave up and used my feet to shove them the rest of the way down, gasping when I realized that he wasn't wearing boxers.

"That was quick," I breathed as he broke our kiss and brushed his lips across my cheeks. He chuckled and reached for the hem of my nightgown, brushing the tips of his fingers across my thighs, gently sliding upwards, underneath the silky material to touch the lacy underwear I had on. I sighed and threw my head back as his simple touch sent shocks of electricity through my body. I gasped his name as he hooked his fingers under the straps of my lacy boy shorts; he smirked up at me and gently pulled them down my legs, my nightgown still covering my body.

Once the offending garment had been tugged from my feet, Edward raised the midnight blue lace up to eye level, raising an eyebrow before glancing at me with a smirk. "Nice," he commented, tossing them over his shoulder. "But I'll put money on the fact that what's under that nightgown is even nicer."

I laughed and sat up as he took the hem in his long fingers for the second time, gently pulling it up and over my head. I rarely wore a bra to bed, it was too uncomfortable, so it was safe to say that Edward wasn't expecting that piece of clothing to be unaccounted for.

"God, Bella…" He breathed, reaching up and tracing around my left nipple, watching as it pebbled under his touch. "You're so beautiful."

It took a few moments for us to realize that we were completely naked, and with that realization came a pair of blazing red cheeks on my part. Edward smiled and wrapped his arms around me, gently lowering me back down onto the bed.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Bella?" He asked, aligning our bodies with a gentle sigh.

Rolling my eyes, I reached down and wrapped my hand around his pulsing length, feeling the heat of him against my palm. "I'm positive, Edward. Make love to me, make me yours."

He smiled at me before ducking his head and kissing me with as much passion as he could; my lips responded to his as though we had rehearsed this kiss a hundred times. His left hand came up to cup my cheek, the tips of his fingers touching my hair as he used his right hand to bring himself closer to the burning heat between my legs. I reached up with both my hands and wrapped my arms around his neck, opening my mouth to let my tongue curl around his as he eased himself into me.

I gasped quietly against his lips, feeling the faintest pressure as he pushed in, his lips calming me down and helping me relax. I felt tears well up in my eyes at the intimacy we were sharing; this was the singular most perfect moment of my life. Our shaky breaths mingled as Edward continued to push forward, not stopping until our hips were pressed firmly together.

After taking a moment, Edward broke our gentle kiss to gaze into my wide eyes. His emerald orbs were swimming with tears, and I knew he was feeling the same intensity I was. He smiled softly, taking a shuddering breath that choked off into a hiccup before he dropped his head onto my shoulder, hugging me to him. With the softest of movements, he pulled his hips back, sliding out before pushing back in. I gasped and arched my back, the feelings completely overwhelming me.

"Are you okay, Bella?" He whispered against my neck, kissing the skin as he continued to rock against me.

"I'm fine," I managed to gasp. "Just, don't stop." I breathed. "Don't ever stop. You can never be close enough."

Every time he pushed back into me, I raised my hips, meeting him half way and multiplying the feelings that were making my heart race. Edward gasped my name, reaching down to grab my hips and tilt them up. I cried out in ecstasy as he slid in deeper than I thought possible; gently threading my fingers through his hair, I pulled his head up and kissed him as lovingly as I could as the coil in my stomach wound tighter.

"Bella," He whispered gently. "I can't… I won't last much longer."

I whimpered, my head thrashing back and forth against the pillows, my hair sticking to my face as a light sheen of sweat covered our bodies. My back arched up higher than it had earlier as Edward struck a particularly sensitive spot inside me, making stars explode behind my eyes. I gasped brokenly, looking up at his face as he gazed down at me with a sense of awe in his eyes. Leaning down, he touched his forehead to mine, brushing our noses together as he whispered against my lips, his eyes boring into mine as he shuddered above me.

"I love you, Bella. I love you so, so much."

And just like that, I was gone.

I craned my neck, parting my lips and pressing them against Edward's as my orgasm overtook me. My legs, which had wrapped themselves around his waist at some point, tightened as I contracted around him, squeezing him, begging him to fall over the edge with me. He moaned into my mouth as he thrust into me heavily, once, twice and then a third time before he stiffened and shook above me.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, we came down from our highs. Edward collapsed onto me and I chuckled breathlessly, running my fingers through his silky hair.

"I didn't use a condom," He whispered tiredly.

"Doesn't matter," I replied. "I'm protected."

"Thank God," he laughed, hoisting himself up before he rolled off me, turning on his side and pulling me to him. I tucked my head into the crook of his neck and kissed just below his Adam's apple. "Bella," he whispered into my hair. "That was… beyond words. You're absolutely incredible – I never knew I could love someone so much."

"Stop it," I whined weakly, reaching down to take the hand that rested between us. Edward chuckled and twined our fingers. "If you keep going on like that I'm going to start crying. But, I know what you mean. That was the most powerful moment of my life. I'd do whatever it takes to feel that again."

Laughing again, he ran his nose along my shoulder. "I'll gladly make love to you whenever you want."

"Sounds good to me," I mumbled tiredly. "You realize we're going to cop heaps of shit from the others later, right? We'll be getting the whole, "it's about time" lecture and all."

"I don't care," He replied, pulling me closer. "As long as you're with me, I'll be fine."

Sighing softly, I smiled and pressed every inch of my body against his. Quietly, Edward pulled his blanket over our bare bodies, trapping our warmth under it.

"I love you, Edward." I whispered into the quiet room. He exhaled soothingly against my skin, kissing my shoulder as the first few rays of sunlight spilled in through the window.

"I love you, too, Bella. Always."

* * *

**Edward: Daww!!  
BWA: Cute, huh? Looks like she's no longer one of the boys.  
Bella: -Squeals-  
Alice: And it was all thanks to us!  
Rosalie: Woo!  
Jasper: And I'm pretty sure Bella never wants to go through that again.  
Bella: -Shivers- The horror...  
BWA: -Laughs- Well, this was one of the most emotional lemons I've written. I'm very proud of myself. I've never made Edward cry before. Woo!  
Edward: They were happy tears!  
Alice: Want to go watch girly movies and eat ice cream?  
Edward: ...... Sure, why not?  
BWA: -Giggles- Well, I hope you all enjoyed this! As always, leave a review, I love hearing your thoughts.  
Emmett: Anyone want to play Rock Band?  
Everyone: -Raises hands-  
BWA: Happy birthday, Liz!  
Emmett: -Throws more confetti-**

* * *


End file.
